Full Moon
by leafyaki
Summary: Let me tell you how we began to die. Phase VII, Waning Gibbous: Tyki Mikk died on a full moon night. An Allen/Tyki story for Poker Pair Week.
1. Phase I: Waxing Gibbous

**Title: **Full Moon

**Warnings**** (Whole Fic)**: Angst, Language, Pseudo Character Death, Sex

**Disclaimer**: This applies to the whole story – I do not own D Gray-man and will never presume that I do.

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**Phase I**: Waxing Gibbous

**Prompt Used**: Hey Pretty

**Summary**: It ended, let me tell you the beginning. Let me tell you how we died.

* * *

Tyki Mikk died on a full moon night.

We met in a strange way, him and I. When I finally realized who he really was, there was too little time to react and say "how could you", "who are you", the myriad of questions I wanted to ask. Lavi and Krory reacted the same way I did, but none of them were as shocked as I was to see that the man who killed me that night and the man whom we stripped the other time were one and the same. We couldn't even get in a "what the fuck" (oh, but no cursing, there was a lady present after all) before he disappeared in some, some puff of smoke, a wanna-be magician, leaving us the key to the mysteries.

Of course, after that, we all know what happened. Kanda was an idiot, Krory made us all feel terrible with his sacrifice, Lavi got his mind raped, and well, Tyki apparently tried to kill me. It's not a joke, I felt his hand on my heart again, he even squeezed, preparing to rip it out.

When we talked afterwards, he said he wanted me to die while I was still the way he liked.

I'm under no illusions, it's seriously fucked up, both of us. He had this obsession with ripping my heart out. I had an obsession with taking the Noah out of him. And of course, when he wasn't concentrating on pulling my heart out, he was concentrating on stroking it and feeling the veins and arteries leading in and out of it, and he would be ever so gentle (as gentle as he could be, I suppose) and me, I couldn't move much. What? You think I like it? I couldn't move because just one inch, and my heart would be pretty much gone, just like that, as if the hole patched with my Innocence wasn't fragile enough already. I always kept Crown Clown activated though, so Tyki was forced to keep one eye on the sword even as he played with my heart.

But he never did do it, because, like I told you.

Tyki Mikk died on a full moon night.

.

It wasn't easy. He approached me first.

After the disaster at Jordan, where we lost a major part of our Third Exorcist fighting power (it was sick, Tokusa's hands and legs flew everywhere, we were stained with the smell of copper for days), we made a run for it. It was apparently a disaster everywhere else as well, Lenalee reporting in breathless, supported by General Nine, she in turn supporting Timothy, Lavi struggling to protect our fledging exorcist and Bookman, and worse of all, no contact from Kanda, bastard not even able to tell us what his condition was.

We pretty much escaped with our tails between our legs. There was trouble at the America branch of Headquarters, Komui, Reever and Johnny had to mass evacuate everyone back to London through the Ark. Then the usual, the flurry of finding and accounting for everyone, and the tense silence when nobody could find Kanda or the Third Exorcists that went along with him. It was terrible. Even Link seemed more grim than usual, and trust me, he doesn't usually have much of an expression.

Then, three days later, the days that had passed filled with uncomfortable silence in the rest of the unusually large Headquarters while shouting went on in Komui's office about what to do with the mass appearance of Noah (no, the Exorcists have to be protected, we can't afford to lose them – no, this is the time to attack, the Earl has shown his hand), the 14th started to talk to me in dreams.

It was not all important, how it started, nor do I want to tell you everything he told me. It was frustrating, all I know was that I was running out of time, and very soon, reluctant though he might be, he would have to take over. But then he told me something perplexing too, he said to talk to Tyki Mikk, said that though it displeased him to feel it, he could feel Tyki Mikk was troubled over something, and like it or not, he'll find me before too long.

How right the 14th was.

On the day that Link was reporting to Lveille (how the hell Tyki knew that, I'll never know) Tyki had somehow grabbed hold of a golem and, casual as though he were talking about the weather, said "hello", ever-dutiful Timcanpy stiffening up and relaying his message, no doubt also recording it for posterity's sake. I also did not know how he got to know I was thankfully alone at that time. Had someone else been there with me, Lavi or Lenalee, instant pandemonium.

"Tyki. What on earth do you want?"

"So cold, boy," and he somehow even managed to sound amused over the golem. "Although I do suppose you have the right, since I did kill your friend the other day." He hummed in thought for a while.

"I'll say this one more time. What do you want?" I was getting fed up with this talk, roundabout, with the infuriating voice getting a reluctant attention from me.

"Say, boy, if I were to tell you to meet me at Depp's, will you?" He said with almost offhand interest. I had to frown at this proposition.

"Just cut this and tell me what you want, Tyki." I'm not sure if it was because I was trying to be stern, or what, but Tyki laughed instead and seriously annoyed me.

"So high-strung, boy," he apparently refused to refer to people by their names. "I'll tell you when you manage to meet me at Depp's. Anytime."

I sighed. Loathe as I was to admit it, I needed to keep talking to him, curious in spite of myself. "You do know I cannot get away that easily?"

"That's why I said anytime, boy," he said, still sounding dreadfully amused. "If it's the middle of the night, so be it. I'll see you, boy." And with a click, Timcanpy came back, anxiously fluttering, I had to pat him to reassure him that well…

Well, things weren't great, we still didn't quite know what the hell was going on, and Tyki was rather rude to insist on having the last word, and why on earth would he want to meet me, but.

And before I could even venture anymore down that line, Link came back into the room, heaviness around him as he obviously pondered on whatever it was that Lveille told him.

.

But let me tell you, it certainly was never easy to get away from Link.

We could meet only in the dead of night, when Link was asleep (I knew for sure, because I slipped some odourless, flavourless sleeping pills into his meal, guaranteed success even for a highly trained Crow, but we couldn't do it all the time or it'll make him resistant, or something). For some reason Tyki chose Depp's, a high-end hat shop, popular with the gentlemen of that time still trying to cling on to their social status. Mana never could shop at Depp's, his top hat was an old one, and as the 14th so helpfully reminded me, it was actually his, which meant that Mana was carrying around a piece of the 14th all the time. The 14th didn't quite know how to deal with my troubled mind at that time so he just left it alone, and with me still getting used to a foreign presence in my mind that could actually sometimes speak as he so wished, I set off to see Tyki.

It being the middle of the night, it was rather unnerving to hear only my own footfalls and nothing else, Timcanpy flying before me trying to spot the man before I could. Depp's was in the center of town, and as we came close we could see the silhouettes of various top hats in the dark window, and the man himself leaning against the shopfront, his top hat gleaming in the little amount of light we got from the flickering street lamps.

As soon as he saw us, he straightened up. I could never get used to that long mane of hair he had, tied up at his nape, somehow accentuated with the hat on his head. That ever so polite, silky voice.

"Hello, boy."

When he smiled and tipped his head, the 14th in me recoiled a little and hissed. I did not quite know where or how the response in me came about, but this was what I found myself saying.

"Hello, Mr. Beauty Mark."

And so before I could even register what I myself said, Tyki Mikk blinked and laughed, a truly amused laugh as nothing I've heard from him before.

So what do you know, he's human after all. Maybe.

"We need to talk, boy," he said, still sniggering a little, and I'd like to say I was all coolly unfazed that day, arms crossed and (I tried my hardest to perfect this) an eyebrow raised.

"In this place?" The 14th seemed to echo my sentiments, that born and bred gentleman. Tyki (again) looked amused and just nodded in the direction of a dark alley. I could feel the 14th raising an eyebrow effortlessly.

"There are places open at this time of night, boy," he said with a slight curl of the lips, making me wonder till this day if he was still amused or whether at that time he was mocking.

Now, Mana had always said (apparently to the 14th too, who could never shut up now that he knew how to communicate in dreams and in vague thoughts and emotions) not to go to dubious places with dubious people but, eh, I've gotten my arms nearly bitten off, got killed, got myself turned into a zombie, and not to mention all those things when I was with Cross, so, this couldn't be that bad.

The 14th was oh so kind to remind me of a certain individual named Murphy. Shrugging it off, and still cursing my inherent curiosity to find out what this was all about, I followed Tyki down that dark alley, into who knew where.

* * *

**Notes**:

My story for Poker Pair Week. This was cooked up over a weekend. I hope you like this chapter and will continue to enjoy this story! Oh, the combination of prompts somehow produced a plot, so this is a whole story, unlike my entry for Allen/Lavi week (:

Prompts are more often than not wildly twisted out of context so don't be alarmed if you can't find it in the chapter.

Reviews are much loved, thanks for reading this far!


	2. Phase II: First Quarter

**Phase II**: First Quarter

**Prompt Used**: Stranger Danger

**Summary**: Tyki is Joyed, and Joyed is Tyki. And the 14th, the 14th loved Joyed.

* * *

Tyki Mikk, on that chilly night, brought us to (rather predictably) a pub.

It wasn't the nicest pub by any means, but it was out of the cold, and the people there looked at newcomers with baleful but non-threatening eyes, often they were too busy nursing their own alcohol. Tyki Mikk led us straight to a quiet corner, the type used for working men, with cigarette butts littering the floor and a stray card on a chair or table. I made a face and immediately headed off to a more lighted, cleaner corner. He laughed quietly.

"Ah, right, I forgot, I forgot," he looked maybe a little wistful then and sat down in the other chair, lounging back immediately with an easy elegance, almost like Cross. As was his habit, he lighted up a cigarette and brought the cancer stick up to his lips. The smoke was pungent, and after a while I started to drum my fingers on the tabletop, seriously bored. I was no longer as wary as when I first came, thinking he might easily kill me even though I had surpassed critical point. But really, should have guessed he was the classy type, he wouldn't kill me in a dingy bar like this, ten witnesses abound. So he really wanted to talk.

"Talk, Tyki."

He hummed a little and looked at me, still with those smiling, gleaming eyes, his top hat still sitting on top of his head, and for a moment I wanted to reach forward and tug that irritating garment off. The 14th was silent and wary, not offering any advice. Tyki blew out a ring of smoke deliberately in my direction, but was probably disappointed when I didn't so much as blink.

"You're no fun, boy," he murmured and concentrated his gaze on the tip of his cigarette, the end of it burning red, ash beginning to collect. "And here I was, thinking we could just have a nice, civil chat."

Oh? I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms, determined not to look too interested. "And so we are, which is why I asked you to talk."

He hummed again and reached forward to tap his cigarette on the ash tray, flicking the ash off. In many ways he was like Cross, that deliberate way of moving, keeping secrets while knowing that the person he was with wanted to know that secret. So the game always went.

But surprises always abound, and this time Tyki cut straight to the chase.

"I think I'm dying, boy," he said easily. Too easily, and it made me blink for a while. Inside me, the 14th did the equivalent of letting out a breath, and if he could have had a corporeal body, he would have been sitting on the ground, legs crossed carelessly, head bent forward with a thoughtful look on his face. As his substitute, I could only blink.

"Come again?"

He smoked for a while more, observing the bartender who was wiping a glass with the same cloth over and over again. Tyki smiled around the cigarette.

"I meant what I said, boy, I think I'm dying, and I think it has got to do with that 14th in you."

He said all this rather casually, and the 14th didn't even start, he just retreated into his thoughts, not willing to share them with me. I frowned. I had to take control of this conversation myself, then.

"Do explain," I mustered as polite a tone as I could. "We all die, Tyki, what do you mean, really? You're dying faster than you should be? So am I, in case you didn't know. I'm starting to wonder why I'm out here talking to you."

Tyki laughed and finally reached up to take the top hat off, placing it on the table between us. "Precisely what you meant, boy. The 14th did something, and now I'm dying. Well," he stubbed out the cigarette and went back to looking at the bartender, eyes dark, "as to why I'm telling you, wouldn't you like to know, boy?"

I frowned and tried to see if there was anything in his body language that said he actually did want to tell me, only he was dragging it out. But really, it was hard to read him, and I was caught between pressing him for it and holding back, thinking he would say it in the end.

Of course, now as I'm thinking this, I know it's pointless, he didn't deign to tell me anything. I had to venture something in the end.

"Did you want to speak to the 14th?" Not that I intended to let the 14th take control, over my dead body, but it seemed the question to ask. Tyki's lips twitched.

"Wrong."

The 14th by now wasn't even making his presence felt, obviously brooding over something even while he took in the conversation. But his superior control of his thoughts and emotions meant I nearly could not feel him at all, except when I looked into the gleaming top hat catching the light, enabling me to see my own reflection, and I saw the grinning wraith, grin no longer so menacing and wide as it was curious, eyes less empty these days. When I looked up it was to meet Tyki's unreadable but seemingly friendly gaze.

"Then, I do not see why I'm here to hear that you're dying. For all you know, it's making me happy that one more enemy is going down."

He smiled a little then, as if he knew something about me that I did not wish him to know. "Who knows," he murmured then and examined his own top hat, the surface still catching the light of the lamps. He looked like he was pondering something, since it was only after a while that he looked up, something determined in his expression. "Shall I meet you again, boy?"

I seriously did not understand why he wanted to meet me again. So, okay, maybe it was a lie when I said I'd be happy if he died, but really, what was the point? Was there a way I could slow the process down?

"And why do you want to meet me again?" I had to ask.

By now he had stood up and was adjusting his top hat and his jacket, playing the part of a gentleman again. This time though, his voice was no longer playful.

"Ask the 14th in you. See you again, boy."

That was all he said before he swept out of the pub.

.

Tyki certainly knew how to play his cards well. Leaving with a message like that meant, inevitably, that I would be pestering the 14th for information, information which the 14th was still ruminating over, still unwilling to tell.

I got back eventually without Link ever suspecting I snuck off, though if he did, he hid it well and was kind enough not to report it to Lveille. He likely had no evidence either, Timcanpy was in my pocket the whole time after we found Tyki, so there was naught to be gained from him.

We were in a lull those days, still wondering what to do with the explosion of Noah and the close escape we had from the Earl and his plans. We needed more time. And in this lull, the Exorcists were kept busy by constant training. Lavi often engaged me for a mock battle, his control of his Innocence stronger by the day. It was in those mock battles that information was exchanged in a light, almost nonchalant way.

"So I saw you were out that day, sprout," Lavi said cheerfully as he ducked my blade. He hopped back a few paces and summoned his wind seal, newly unlocked and rather unsteady. Now it was my turn to jump and duck, allowing him to try and control it for as long as he could before I either got hit or it withered off. There was no one too close, but we didn't risk shouting over the wind lest Link sitting off to the side could hear us. It was a pretty tense few minutes until his wind seal died down and I hopped back down, hair a little ruffled but otherwise unscathed. Lavi panted and sat down abruptly on the ground, using his hammer as a support.

"Not too shabby, Lavi," I said as I settled down beside him. "Held out longer this time, and you could control its direction better."

"Yeah?" He looked cheerful. "Sprout?"

He was still harping on it. I sighed. "If you saw it, then yes, I must have."

Lavi made a non-committal sound, though he did give me a worried look for a while. "Well, two-spots is here, sprout." There was a grip he gave on my wrist, a silent message to be careful, you did not know who was watching whom these days.

"Of course. Take care then, Lavi."

Under Lavi's grinning but piercing eye, I followed Link out of the training grounds. Lavi made a good point – he saw me that day, careful though I was, but he didn't follow. I wasn't that worried about him, he didn't do betrayal, but if he saw me, who else did? He didn't say anyone else did, but the silent entreaty was there – Link was always present, except when he was asleep, and even then it was a bet.

The 14th had butted in then, finally talking after days of silence. And this was what he said, in his usual abrupt manner, talking as we were on the way to the cafeteria as though the message was nothing important.

Before Tyki, he was Joyed. And before Allen, I was the 14th.

.

_The story went like this,_ the 14th said in a wispy voice, in the seaside we chose for our dreamscape meetings. We were sick of places with dark red moons, or broken traffic lights, or clowns dancing around us. Mana was a sore spot for him too. And so the sea it was, with its rolling waves and nowhere to walk for miles, so we either sat and watched the sea or walked down the shore, knowing there was no end to it.

The 14th in the dreams was like the reflection, only here it was more obvious he was not just a shapeless ghost. He was slowly gaining features, the skin less dark, gaining an almost beige tone, and even, rather comically, tufts of hair standing proudly on his previously bald head. The 14th seemed exceptionally proud of that.

But he said, the story went like this, and he had to tell it.

It was very Abel and Cain, Romulus and Remus, God and Lucifer. The 14th and the Earl in a once upon a time were close friends, but the Earl was the chosen leader, the 14th merely a follower. The Earl's vision of saving the world was destroying it. Long story short, the 14th didn't believe that, and so he tried to kill the Earl.

But don't let it be said that he wasn't fond of the other Noahs. In the end they were still family, and amongst them all, he worried for Joyed the most. Perhaps he even loved Joyed the most. He was never specific on that, he just moved on from that topic as a matter of course.

Joyed was an intense, destructive force, and the 14th knew, if he wanted any chance of thwarting the Earl's plans, he had to seal Joyed. He was able to kill many of the Noahs easily, strong as he was, even though it broke his heart to do so. And the one which really tore his heart was Joyed's death. Joyed was destroyed, the memory deeply buried, such that even if it was to be reborn it'd be highly suppressed.

"Tyki Mikk is the Noah of Pleasure," I said rather quietly, just in case the 14th didn't want to be interrupted. He paused but didn't seem to mind the interruption. While waiting I just looked down at the foam tickling our bare feet, our toes scrunching the sand beneath it.

_Yes,_ the 14th said. _Yes, he is. And before that, he was Joyed. Joyed, the Noah of Pleasure, was a loved one. Tyki Mikk is a stranger to me, but Joyed was a loved one. _

.

None of that, however, explained why Tyki Mikk was dying. The 14th refused to tell, and I was left to wait for a message again.

* * *

**Notes**:

Ah hah, well, um…for those who are still reading this, hope you enjoyed it (: I like the 14th, we hardly know anything about him, so I can twist him round and round.

Reviews are much loved (:


	3. Phase III: Waxing Crescent

**Phase III**: Waxing Crescent

**Prompt Used**: Homosexual Card Games

**Summary**: But even if Tyki is Joyed, Joyed is eating him up. Corroding him, piece by piece.

* * *

Lenalee was a wreck those days. She wanted so badly to go out and find Kanda, and even Marie seemed inclined to agree. But it was far too dangerous when we had not a single clue. We haven't gotten any notice of the Earl's movements. It might be terrible to say this, but the fact that none of the Finders that got dispatched died said quite a lot about the affair of things – we had absolutely no clue as to the Earl's position and his plans. He wasn't attacking the Finders at all. The few that did get into trouble were the ones sent to find Innocence and found Akuma swarming around instead, forcing them to retreat and request Exorcist assistance.

There was, after that lull, plenty to do in the Headquarters. The Scientists were caught up in 'Alma Karma'. None of the Exorcists wanted to get caught up in that, considering that it was the process by which we got our Third Exorcist fighting power and nobody, none of us wanted to see a human being subjected to that treatment. So we found plenty of other things to do. Timothy, after the scare at Greece, was more willing to settle down and study under Emilia and, when he was particularly restless, General Nine would train him and his Innocence hard. General Tiedoll, finding some way to cope now that nobody knew what happened to one of his disciples, focused hard on training Chaoji, who was willing to listen and learn. There was also a sense of unease, Lenalee sticking close to someone, Miranda or Krory or Lavi or me, and we usually tried to lighten the mood, playing cards or games, most of the time I'd be teaching them how to play poker while Lavi watched my hands warily, trying to catch me cheating. We could almost fool ourselves into thinking that all was fine, there was peace in the world.

But at night, the 14th always talked to me.

He was starting to gain, of all things, a set of teeth. It was a little weird without the lips to cover them, which meant they were rather accentuated and disproportionately huge. The 14th fussed over his clothes sometimes too, I think he was particularly upset that there was no hat to cover his growing hair. But after those preliminaries, where I inquired after him and him after me, he'd start to tell me stories.

He said (and I didn't tell him I already suspected) that he and Joyed were close. The way he said 'close' made me glance at him a while, but he resumed without taking note of my reaction. He said Joyed was the unrestrained force, and so the 14th became his controlling force. Joyed could not survive if he were to go in wild abandon the whole time. Mana (and I started as I heard that cherished name) was allowed to travel with them, even though the Earl wasn't exactly happy, and so Mana got to know Joyed as well.

Here, he paused as if debating whether or not to tell me something. Then he resumed.

They used to play at cards together.

He was right to have been hesitant, to have paused because now I was examining my own mismatched hands, slightly horrified. He said lightly that Joyed and him were very good at cheating, which meant Mana had to learn quickly or he'd be at a disadvantage. The 14th had always been naturally good at cards, and by playing at cards in their downtime, they could imagine that there was no world to destroy. They could pretend that Mana wasn't a poor innocent dragged along by his love for his brother.

At that point I told him to stop, just stop, and he did so. It was in the silence between us afterwards, just watching the waves lap at the shore and the poorly built sandcastle in front of us that he finally said.

_If it's any consolation, I cheat differently from you. _

.

Tyki Mikk broke the lull a few days later, somehow knowing to call only when Link was out on his weekly report to Lveille. Depp's again, anytime I could make it.

Only this time, in the pub, Tyki pulled out a deck of cards and began to deal, five cards each. He spoke as he regarded the cards.

"So the 14th has spoken to you."

The cards weren't great. An Ace of Spades, three and five of hearts, eight and Knave of diamonds. Three cards then, I mentally noted. Outwardly, I just said, "What's it to you if he did?"

The cigarette dangled carelessly from the corner of his mouth as he took two cards. He scanned his new set, nothing in his face betraying his hand. Taking the cigarette from his mouth, he stubbed it in the ash tray, eyes flicking up to regard me.

"He spoke of Joyed."

A much better hand this time, I can have a full house if I cheated a little. Again, I just said, "And what is it to you if he did?"

"Hmm," Tyki thought for a while. "Call. Joyed and me. The Earl has told me about the lovely time when I became Joyed. Interesting, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," I placed my cards down and smiled when I saw my full house easily trumped his hand. Then again, Tyki didn't seem to mind, it seemed more like something to do with his hands than an actual competition. I shuffled the cards quickly, not even paying attention to the motions. The 14th was painfully awake in my mind.

"Joyed. Joyed. Don't you think that's a funny name, boy? The past tense of joy," Tyki said absent-mindedly, toying with his tie, loosening it. "I don't suppose you're interested in what the Earl is doing?" He said with a sudden intensity. I met his eyes and there was nothing but curiosity in it. I shrugged.

"Would you tell me, if I asked?" Dealing the cards was an easy task, both he and I knew I deliberately dealt some cards from under the deck into mine. He just smiled.

"Probably not," he agreed. "I don't quite know it either."

Now, the thing about Tyki was I'm not sure when his words were a lie. I couldn't tell this time either. I just glanced at him and then back at my hand again. My cards were a perfectly respectable four of a kind, so I just kept it.

"The 14th said that Joyed was loved," I put in, feeling the 14th sit up straight in my mind. He observed Tyki Mikk carefully.

"Joyed was loved, indeed," Tyki agreed. "I suppose he hates me?"

"He never said," I lied. The truth was that the 14th found it impossible to look at Tyki, knowing he'd have to destroy him once more. Tyki left his cards untouched, choosing instead to light another cigarette. I put mine down, sensing that the game was over.

"Joyed loved the 14th, I should think," Tyki said nonchalantly. "He wants to be released. He'll soon eat me up."

I could feel both the 14th and myself wincing at his choice of words. Eat him up. Like the 14th taking over my body, slowly eating it, cell by cell. Like how Madarao was about to take Tokusa into a vortex, before Sheryl intervened and destroyed him instead. Like how Lenalee's Innocence consumed her in its intensity. Like how Lavi burned in a fiery snake of his own creation.

The 14th withdrew, something like shame radiating from him. I realized, slowly, what Tyki was saying.

"Is that what you meant, when you said you're dying?" I'm not sure whether I was horrified then, it's probable that my face was completely blank. Tyki only took a few slow drags of his cigarette. "Is that, is that where you agreed with me, because I'm slowly dying that way too?"

"You've always been clever, boy," he remarked, completely calm. The bar was relatively empty that day, the bartender still attending to the same glass, and us hidden in a corner, so he felt no qualms in leaning forward, hand slowly sinking itself into my chest. I sucked in a breath and felt the 14th tense, ready to defend his host if need be.

"No need to be nervous, boy," he murmured, hand gently gripping around my heart and tracing its outline. It was a terrible feeling, my heart beating so fast that the slightest pressure of his fingers seemed to send it into overdrive. My Innocence was screaming at me to react and I let it, my left hand transforming into claws within the second. Tyki looked amused.

"So this is where," he carefully felt around a patch where the Innocence must have repaired. "You've always had a strong will. It's never changed."

"Tyki," I warned. "Get your hand out. Now."

"Of course," he complied easily, pulling it out and using that hand to pluck the cigarette out of his mouth, as if it hadn't touched somebody else's organ, muscle and blood and what must have been a terrible smell. Human organs have always smelt terrible. I realized I was breathing shakily then, my body remembering the trauma of having died once. Tyki gathered the cards and slipped it into a pocket in his jacket, hand carefully placing his hat back.

"I'll see you again, boy," he said, sounding almost cheerful. Before I knew it, he was out of the pub, and it was time for me to play the waiting game again.

* * *

**Notes**:

To the few who are still reading/following this, thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (: Things have been slow, they'll pick up (very quickly, in fact) the next few chapters (:

Reviews are much loved~


	4. Phase IV: New Moon

**Phase IV**: New Moon

**Prompt Used**: History

**Summary**: We are not the ones who loved. When we kiss, it is not because we love each other, but because we are secretly vengeful, we want something for our own.

* * *

_This is what happened,_ the 14th finally said one night.

Watching him was like watching a train wreck. I couldn't pull my eyes away from him, no matter how sickened I was. Lips have appeared, and his eyes were beginning to become less of empty holes and more of little white balls, the pupils yet to develop. Touching my own, I could still trace its outline, recall the pain when Road's candle pierced it. The gentle pressure on it was returned by whatever it was that maintained eyeballs. His hair was appearing in more than tuffs, a plain brown that looked like my own before Mana died a second time.

Before Mana and him were persecuted, the 14th managed to kill everyone except Road and the Earl. When he killed Joyed, he not only killed him, he wielded powerful magic to keep Joyed suppressed. But Joyed apparently really loved the 14th. In the most neutral of tones, the 14th told me that Joyed brushed a bloody kiss on his lips before he allowed himself to be killed, stunning both the 14th and Mana, who was there to witness the traumatic incidents. Hearing that, I brushed my own lips, feeling sickened, absolutely sickened and wretched.

"He loved you," I said, my mind blank.

_Yes, he loved me,_ the 14th said. But because he didn't have a whole face yet, I couldn't tell what he was really feeling. He sounded unaffected, if a little tired.

"He loved you, and you killed him." I wasn't accusing him, but it was like a terrible addiction, I had to hear the confirmation from him. He nodded.

_I killed him. I killed him. I loved him, and I killed him, and he, he loved me too, so he consented to be killed. _

I think I might have cried a little then, and the 14th was so sorry. We've never touched each other yet, and I think he wanted to place a hand on my shoulder, my hand, my arm, but he drew it back, and whispered a sorry that disappeared into the wind driving the sea foam.

.

When we next met, I drew Tyki Mikk into a kiss, and he didn't resist. He carefully placed a hand on my shoulder and the other went to play with my hair. He didn't resist, but he did ask about it afterwards.

"What brought this on, boy?" He would have sounded careless, if not for the fact that his eyes were scanning me, wondering at my action. I shrugged.

"I'm not sure," I said and leaned close to him again, bracing myself as I felt his hand enter my chest again, feeling for my heart. "I'm not sure, but I'll warn you now, I'm going to activate Crown Clown."

"Go ahead," he said, already feeling for the patch covered by the Innocence, apparently his favourite spot. My right hand reached to draw the sword my left arm formed, and he obligingly stepped back for the sword to be pulled completely out. In my mind the 14th was silent, unwilling to take in the scene. Tyki's hand was back, one of his eyes keeping a watch on my blade.

It was a new moon night, nothing but the light of the stars and streetlamps to see each other by. But Tyki knew his way well, and he leaned forward to brush his lips against mine again. They weren't bloody, they were dry and chapped, the lips of someone who hadn't slept much. His hand was keeping up a slow caress now, tracing the veins and arteries.

I'll say it now, I did not love him, nor did he love me. The people who loved weren't us. But it was something that felt right, losing ourselves in this little game, dark matter against Innocence, dry lips against another set of lips. I spoke slowly, sleepily, when we pulled back.

"Joyed is a funny name indeed, Tyki Mikk. The past tense of joy. But he must have been happy once."

"Love, loved. He was happy, as you said, boy," Tyki said against my ear, his hand had moved to cradling my heart, feeling its valves contract in turn, thumb stroking the small patch. I gasped a little.

"Shit, Tyki, don't."

"Hmm? Alright then," he carefully adjusted his grip, the thumb no longer moving, just resting beside the patch. My body was fighting the trauma, and I forced him into a kiss again to distract myself. He was a surprisingly obliging person, yielding to my touch even as my heart slowly yielded itself, my body protecting itself so as not to go into overdrive. If you had looked down the alley it must have been terrifying, a person with one arm missing and a huge blade touching the other man's hip, and him with his hand in my chest, the two of us connected at the lips. Really, it's a terribly funny image, now that I think about it.

"Joyed hated Mana Walker," Tyki said. "The 14th was devoted to Mana Walker, and Joyed didn't like that."

"Was that why," I sucked in a breath when his hand moved down, cupping itself against my pelvic bone. It was a warm grip on the fragile bone. "Was that why the Earl wanted to kill Mana as well?"

"Hmm…Road might have been his favourite, but Joyed was a willful, selfish child. He'd have talked to the Earl about it," Tyki said in a reasonable tone. He leaned close again and I suppose it was a sign that he didn't want to continue talking about it that he pressed his lips to mine again. Then again, he resumed after the sixth, seventh, eighth kiss, murmuring the words into the night.

"There's a reason we're called the Noah of Pleasure. There's jealousy in pleasure, and Joyed cared only for himself."

"Just like, ah," I shifted a little so the hand dipping beneath my skin wasn't tickling me, "just like yourself, then, Tyki?"

Tyki laughed, damp breath against my ear. "You're a funny one, boy, you are." But he never answered, simply shifting to initiate a deep, forceful kiss between us. That, and his hand constantly returning to my heart, the strain of maintaining Crown Clown, was what occupied me until I had to return to Headquarters.

.

"I don't love him," I told the 14th, who was quiet and worried, but not angry. The 14th hummed a little, and I could recognize in that humming the lullaby. I bit my lip. "I don't love him like that."

The 14th sighed. _Do you feel sorry for him then,_ he asked. I thought about it for a while.

"Yes, yes, suppose I do?" I told him.

_Then,_ he whispered back, neither condemning nor condoning, _then do as you always did. See this through, let's hope something comes out of this. I'm not happy, Allen,_ he said. _I'm deeply unhappy, I don't want this to happen. _

"You took me as your host, remember? This will happen. I'm trying to stop it, but it will. But I won't let you live your turn before I absolutely have to."

_Do you hate me,_ the 14th asked, and I could see in the whites of his eyes pupils starting to develop. I looked away.

It's a terrible question to have to answer, as terrible as telling someone whether you loved him. It's hard to love the 14th, but it's hard to hate him too. I wanted to hate Sheryl for killing Tokusa, the Earl for killing Kanda, Krory, Lavi and Chaoji, Cross for picking me up, Mana for taking me in, my parents for abandoning me, for even giving birth to me.

So much regret that can never be expressed. I shook my head.

_I can't hate you,_ I said, and the 14th closed his eyes, terminating our dream.

* * *

**Notes**:

This feels like a long time coming and yet…not, at the same time. Oh Tyki, Allen, the 14th. (Pets them.)

As always, reviews are much loved (:


	5. Phase V: Waning Crescent

**Phase V**: Waning Crescent

**Prompt Used**: Verbal Molestation

**Summary**: We are slowly losing our minds, and the only way we could try to stay sane was to lose ourselves in each other.

* * *

Tyki Mikk was running out of time, and both of us knew it.

"What is it like, Tyki Mikk, to know you were cherished?" I said when I met him in the same alleyway, blade at the ready. "You had a child once, and two men who were your friends. What happened?"

Tyki seemed to think about this for a while even as he palmed my hip. Surprisingly, he didn't go straight in this time, choosing to remain corporeal for a while longer. He gave a small intrigued "hmm" and met my eyes, serious for once.

"Who, I wonder, are you talking about?"

To say I was stunned, well, I wanted to shake him, I wanted to push him away and demand that Tyki Mikk wake up, the Tyki I knew wasn't like that, the Tyki I knew led a double life. As it was, I could only repeat myself.

"Eeez, I believe his name was. I, I never did catch the name of your two friends. Eeez, he's, he's probably waiting for you to return."

There was an alarming lack of recognition in Tyki's eyes as he looked at me in all seriousness, his hand starting to dip below my clothes, brushing against my skin. When he leaned forward, he mouthed these words against my lips.

"There're no such people in my world."

.

Lavi looked grim when he greeted me. He grabbed my arm and said, harshly, with a current of desperate worry, "Allen, stop going out. Central's suspicious."

I shook off his hold and looked straight into his eye. Lavi looked stricken and behind him an obviously sleep-deprived Lenalee looked between the both of us, confused. I smiled.

"I'm alright. Thank you, Lavi."

"I'm serious, Allen. It's dangerous. Don't do it."

Lavi's words were close to a plea then but I shook it off. "I'll be fine, nothing's happened, see?"

"Sprout, this isn't about what has or what will happen, it's about your position, they've marked you as a potential heretic. Don't push them."

But, what was Lavi talking about here? "Sprout? I'm sorry, my name's Allen, what do you mean by Sprout?"

"Allen! This is no time to joke! I'm not Kanda, stop harping on it, you know I mean no harm or insult! Listen, stay low-"

"Lavi," I said gently, and I really was confused then. "Lavi, I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean."

"But," Lavi stepped back, his eye wide. "That's, well, Kanda always called you that. I. Sprout?"

I mulled over it. "Sprout…sprout, Kanda? I think you must be mistaken, Lavi. But anyway, I thank you, I'll be fine."

Lenalee had by then looked on eyes wide, though I didn't know why she looked so horrified. In my mind, I could dimly register the 14th's anguished gaze.

.

_It's starting_, the 14th said with a sigh.

_What's starting_, I asked. He was starting to gain cheekbones, high, sharply defined, aristocratic cheekbones. His eyes still looked bare without eyelashes, but at least there was a pupil in each of them now, he could actually focus his gaze and I could see his pupil dilating or focusing.

He shook his head, the short, cropped hair barely swaying in the movement. _Let me tell you a story_, he said.

_Okay_, I was contented to lie like a child, listening to the soothing murmur of his voice. He was a calm figure in this period – I'm not yet sure if I like him, but it's soothing to be with him, when I'm not with Tyki or in the Black Order being followed by Link and being watched with worry by my comrades.

He paused for a while, thinking, then seemed to change his mind, perhaps changing the story he had wanted to tell? He smiled a little, his barely there nose wrinkling.

_Let me tell you about the time Mana and I learnt juggling. _

_Okay_, I said, strangely happy and lax, gaze turned to the clear, blue sky. The 14th said Mana couldn't juggle at all when they began, and the apples (or was it oranges? Balls?) dropped on his head all the time. I might have giggled a little then, an undignified sound, surely I wouldn't have done it in the presence of my comrades in the Black Order, nor, nor my Master who, who…

He might have been drinking himself into a stupor, or, that's right, he was with General Nine, I've got to talk to him sometime soon, about not drinking so much, there were, there were guards looking over him, the poor things had to pay for his wine.

The 14th said Mana soon improved, he only dropped the balls on the 14th's head, and I laughed, feeling the words wash over and around me, hearing his small chuckle, and his hand, his tentative hand on my head, carefully smoothing the hair back, seemingly surprised when I didn't object.

It was getting harder, and harder, to wake up.

"It's time to go back to your world, Allen."

.

"I'm losing my mind, Tyki," I said when he gently pushed me onto the small bed, his form settling over me. I sighed, feeling his heart beating against my chest.

"Joyed used to want to do this," he said thoughtfully, looking down at me. My mind was hazy and so I blinked up at him, his frowning eyes, his hands that were concentrating on actually touching my clothes for once. I slapped at his hands.

"Listen to me, won't you? The 14th, the 14th, he said, hmm, he said it's starting, whatever that means. Listen, won't you just put your hand…ahh, alright, that's better," I sighed when he supported my back with his hand, pulling me up so that I could rest against his collarbone. His skin was so dark.

"Yes, Joyed was a little pervert, wasn't he? He wanted to strip you…the 14th, I suppose. He wanted a little place all to themselves. Love is one thing, lust…another." My coat wasn't the easiest of things to unbutton, but he somehow managed it, and he could see the scar I inflicted on myself. I mumbled something and pressed into him, willing him not to see the scar.

"So I was, I was talking to Lavi the other day, and, ah, he was saying something about his wind seal, but I didn't know he had a wind seal, always thought his favourite was the fire, ah hah, he tried to, hmm, did he? Yes, he tried to kill you with it, do you remember? Or Joyed, ah, Joyed, he tried to kill Joyed, yes. Oh, for god's sake," I was impatient by then, pulling him down into a kiss, my hands reaching to swiftly divest him of his shirt and examine a similar scar. "Oh, right, I nearly forgot about this, does it hurt?"

"Joyed was never afraid of pain…but I think he was afraid of hurting the 14th. Said if he fucked him, fucked you, he's scared he'll hurt you. Will you?" He leaned down and flicked his tongue against my ear, making me scrabble for a grip on his shoulder. "Will you be hurt? Do you want me to kiss you, do this, before we both lose our minds? Hah, getting our own before we die." I had pulled off his hair tie by then, and his hair was a little tangled, not as smooth as it looked. I tugged at it a little to get the knots out.

"Hmm, so, Lenalee asked me something strange the other day, you know Lenalee, right? So she asked, do I know what type of Innocence hers is, and of course I know, it's, erm, what do you call that…mine is parasitic, what a terrible name, what…ah, of course, equipment, that's right, and she dragged me to Komui, who dragged me to Hevlaska, but everything's fine. Oh, I don't suppose you have lube, it's supposed to help the process, you know." Tyki wordlessly dug something out of his by then discarded pants and I lay back.

"Perhaps you want me to love you, boy…and I can say, perhaps I've loved you the best I could. Oh, boy, do brace yourself, this will hurt a little…"

"Do be careful. Hmm, what else, it's weird how life seems when we aren't in constant battles. Oh, so that one time, I'm not sure what was up with Jeryy, but he was hysterical, all because I didn't eat the _dango_ he gave me! I mean, really, I was rather full by then…"

"Well, aren't you all nice and ready? Shh, be quiet, won't you, we should take our time, with this…"

"And I was telling Link the other day, erm, hmm, that's…"

.

_Tell me another story. _

There was a hand carding fingers through my hair, removing the knots that were there. I could imagine a smile on his lips as he thought.

"Okay, what story?"

_Anything…tell me about the time when Mana accidentally bought a dirty magazine, cause he took it with another magazine…_

"Okay, okay. So, Mana was just there, at the market…"


	6. Phase VI: Last Quarter

**Phase VI**: Last Quarter

**Prompt Used**: Drunken Lament

**Summary**: I've caused my own death. We never have enough time – now, I'm saying goodbye before we even spent much time together, like how I said goodbye to Mana.

* * *

"I'll tell you," he said with deep regret lacing his words. "I'll tell you what happened, what really happened. Are you willing to listen?"

Mmm…it was a nice, warm, sleepy day, but sure, the 14th needed to talk, so I'll listen to him. His hair is kind of nice now, a little fluffy like mine (oh, but his is brown, like Mana's), and he had eyelashes now, eyelashes like a girl's. I nodded.

"Thank you," he said with some sort of relief in his voice. "As you know, the Innocence, it's destructive to a being like me, like us, the Noahs. So when you stabbed Tyki, it was too powerful, it overrode the magic I placed on Joyed, do you understand, Allen? Stay with me here."

_Yes_, I said drowsily, nodding. _The Innocence, Crown Clown, yes, I know_. He was speaking fast, with a hint of tears choking his throat, like a sad drunk. I wanted to reach out and pat him on the shoulder, but my arm was heavy. _Are you drunk?_

"You stabbed yourself with Crown Clown, and the Noah in you, me, I don't react well to being intruded with dark matter. Really, Allen," and he sounded a little exasperated now, though his hands still continued carding through my hair, a familiar, loving caress by now, and it sort of registered in me that he ignored my question, "you are rather silly at times, you know?"

_Am not_, I said crossly, grasping a little at the sand beneath my heavy palms.

"Of course. But, that's the thing, trying to exorcise the Noah from us, it can't be done, it has to be destroyed. For you and me, the Innocence just releases us, makes us fight back, which is why…which is why this had started."

_Oh, okay…so it's my fault, then_. I was a little upset at the thought, that, I don't know, that I caused my own death? And I said I'll keep on walking, too.

"No," he shook his head. "No, it would still have happened, but now, because both you and him have been stabbed by Crown Clown, there's a strange connection between you two. Do you understand me, Allen? It's the same pace, the same thing is happening, both of you. Allen, would you, would you, god, just, please…"

His hands stopped moving then and he might have cried a little, only he couldn't yet, because there weren't, there weren't…that's right, he was still incomplete, there weren't tear ducts yet. But he smiled, blinking rapidly, and with a heavy effort I sat up and gripped his arm. He patted my hand.

"It's okay, Allen…it's time to go back to your world. I won't…I do love you, you know. I'll be waiting, try to meet me again, before, before…"

I blinked hazily at him but by the time I registered his words, it was morning and Link was standing over me, uncharacteristic worry on his face.

.

"It might be my last night with you," I said, tracing the scar on his chest. Tyki hummed a little and pressed me into him, my body fitting against his. I sighed and looped my arms around him, pressing my face against his neck. "You don't quite remember me, do you?"

Tyki laughed a little. "Of course I remember you. You're the cheating boy. How could I forget?"

"I didn't, but I thought you might have. Well, it doesn't matter, I think the 14th is ready, he said he is, but he's trying to give me more time. What does Joyed say?"

Tyki rolled over, pulling me on top of him. I shifted to be a little more comfortable, feeling his hand move and cup itself around my heart, languid and slowly beating now. I was too lazy to pull Crown Clown out, so I just let him, his grip somehow comforting rather than terrifying.

"Joyed wants to meet the 14th, not you, he said."

"Of course, we all want to meet somebody we can't, don't we?"

I don't think I sounded bitter as I said that, though I might have been. Tyki just nodded and pressed his lips to the pentacle above my left eye in an almost loving way. I laughed.

"Sap," I said to tease him. He smiled against my eye.

"It is our last night after all," he said. I hummed in agreement.

"Do you like me, Tyki?" I asked, purely in curiosity.

"Sure I do."

"Well, okay, I guess that's alright then," I said in satisfaction, leaning back down. "It's rather sad it has to come to this. But my 14th will fight in my stead now. Maybe I'll be somewhere inside him."

"Highly improbable. I wasn't aware of myself with Joyed."

"Oh, okay…well, I quite like you too, Tyki Mikk. I wish we could have been friends. Wish we had more time."

"Me too, boy," he said in a whisper against my hair. "Me too."

.

_You're pretty handsome, you know. _

"Why, thank you, Allen," the 14th said. If I pressed my hand against his chest I bet I could feel his heart beating, so complete he was, down to the little buckles on his boots. I smiled lazily.

_Crown Clown will listen to you. Don't worry, I'm still here, you know, I'm…that's right_, I sat up with a sudden epiphany. _I __**am**__ Crown Clown, you don't have to worry, Komui won't throw you out_.

"Somehow I highly doubt that, Allen. Thank you though," he leaned forward and brushed a kiss on the pentacle, much like what Tyki did. I wrinkled my nose at him.

_Am not a child_.

"You are to me. You're my nephew, you know," the 14th mused. "Scrawny little kid like you, but hey, I'm proud of you. Mana is too, I'm sure."

_You think?_ I asked happily, following him as he headed down to the sea, the boots left behind on the sand. The water was cool on our bare toes. _I'll keep walking in you, promise you'll help them? Don't make Lenalee cry, okay? Kanda's gone, but punch him for me when he comes back for making Lenalee cry, will you?_

"Yes sir," he said, amused. "Anything else?"

_Mmm, tell Lavi he should lead his own life, you know. And Krory to not be so scared, Miranda too, and um, oh, Timothy should try to have some fun, oh, Marie is a nice guy, so maybe he'll like that lullaby of yours, ours, erm…_I scratched my head, there was a lot more to be said. He laughed and ruffled my hair and was startled when I caught him in a hug.

_Say hi, to Joyed, for me. I'll miss Tyki. _

"I know, I know you will," he cooed. "He was good to you, wasn't he? You two were good for each other. I'm sorry. I couldn't help. I. I'm…so sorry." He pressed his face into my hair, and I got the feeling that he was trying to be brave. He's so silly. He'll be fine.

_Mmm, it's okay. You'll, you'll take care of them, right? _

"I will. Promise."

* * *

**Notes**:

(Pets the 14th.)

What a lonely fic this is (thinks). If anyone is still reading this I'd be amazed. Well, it's nearing the end, just a wrap-up and Allen and Tyki will be…over.

As always, reviews are loved (:


	7. Phase VII: Waning Gibbous

**Phase VII**: Waning Gibbous

**Prompt Used**: Towels

**Summary**: I think this is for real. I think it's the end. Tyki Mikk has died, and soon I will too.

* * *

It began as gently as it could, but even the 14th could not help here. It soon progressed to a searing pain as my body fought between two sets of genes that were never supposed to be infused together in the first place. Strangely enough, our minds were clearly separated, there was no pain there, but I could feel his regret and grief, strong like they were my own. It was hard to reassure him though, I was fighting from screaming out, scared that we would wake Link up to see us in the process of changing owners. Crown Clown screamed at me for letting a dark matter overtake us, and it was double the pain, my back arching, my mind slowly slipping off, starting to separate itself from this body – not mine, not any longer, never was to begin with, this cursed, scarred, wretched body.

The 14th came into control, felt the last of the pain, shuddered on the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep, his body needing to recover, his mind unused to gaining control of a body and…

It was over.

.

There was something I never told Allen, because I was too cowardly. I could never tell him how sorry I was that Mana's love for him was cast in doubt. My brother loved me dearly, and now we'll both never know whether Mana picked him up because of my presence, or because he loved Allen for himself.

Even if I told him that I was sure Mana loved him for him, he would just smile back at me with that kind smile, because somehow or other, he does not hate me, and he just, he wouldn't want to hurt me, and I hate that he does that, hate that I feel so horrible about taking over a body when I never cared in the past.

But it's too late for that now, it'll be a while before I can meet him again.

It was strange to have a corporeal body again. I could feel inside me Joyed awakening, and soon it'll all start again. Allen and Tyki have said goodbye, but not completely, they haven't thrown it in yet, haven't thrown in a sign of surrender. The war, the war on this body, the war with the Earl, it isn't over yet, nothing is set in stone. And maybe after all of this, I can let the kid live his own life again.

As I awoke and felt the man – Link, yes, Link – looking over me anxiously, I smiled.

"Good morning."

.

Tyki Mikk died on a full moon night.

We ended in a strange way, him and I. We met as Allen and Tyki, and we were bound to leave as the 14th and Joyed. This is the last of me, speaking to you, to me, to…I don't know, to somebody, and soon, so very soon, the 14th will be here.

I'm by the sea on my own, the 14th no longer beside me, and in this lull I have remembered everything, but I wish I could forget. I think I can be by the sea for as long as I wish, and when I'm ready I can join him in his mind and see the world through his eyes. He said when it's all said and done, he'll destroy himself, so I can be myself again. But I don't quite want that, couldn't we both live, wouldn't Mana have wanted that?

Maybe Tyki and Joyed will be making their own pact. Maybe Joyed will burn himself out, and Tyki will take over again, and then maybe I can meet Tyki again through the 14th, I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

I hope Link and Lavi and Lenalee and Krory and Komui and everyone aren't too scared. The 14th is nice, really, although he forgot his name. He didn't want to call himself Allen, but I told him to call himself that, I'm sure Mana would like him to, and anyway, I'm inside him.

It's strange, I can still see myself, not like the 14th when he was still forming. I think that's his way of saying sorry, allowing me to keep my own form, and when I talk to him in dreams we'll both be fully in our forms, and I can tell him the stories that he missed while he was still sleeping in me, tell him how good a father Mana was.

And Tyki, maybe I'll meet Tyki again someday, because, like I told you, we'll meet as friends next time, when this is all over. I'm sure we will. Only the Earl has to die, but Tyki, Tyki, maybe we can both live, and, I.

I don't want to have to think this again.

But, I think, I think this is for real. This is for real. This is for…

Tyki Mikk died on a full moon night.

* * *

**Notes**:

The end. Thank you if you've read it through. Goodbye, Allen, you've been wonderful to write. Thank you to Poker Pair Week for prompting me to write this.

Let us hope he finds happiness in his next life (or another fic, whichever works).

Reviews are loved (:


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